Feb. 19, 2005

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Megan Rogers scored 15 points and led three players in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee posted a 72-63 victory over Loyola University in Horizon League women's basketball action here Saturday (Feb. 19). Molly O'Brien added 14 points for the Panthers with Kimberly Becker scoring 11 with a game-best 10 rebounds. UWM won for the third straight game and improved to 14-11 overall and 11-3 in the league while the Ramblers fell to 7-18 on the season and 4-9 in the loop.

"Loyola is a feisty team and very offensive oriented," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "They came out very hot in the first half and they came right at us. I think we turned up the defensive intensity in the second half and changed the pace of play and really frustrated them."

Loyola controlled things through most of the first half thanks in large part to solid inside play. The Ramblers raced out to an 18-5 lead at the 11:39 mark while hitting nine of their first 15 shots from the field. A Molly O'Brien three-pointer and an Anne Witte layup cut the lead to eight before Loyola went ahead by ten, 20-10, with 10:22 in the half.

UWM's sophomore trio led a quick comeback as Aubrey Hampton, Kiley Johnson and Megan Rogers scored all of the points during a 10-0 Panther run to tie the game at 20 with 6:55 to play in the half. The two teams traded buckets and a Johnson three-pointer made it 26-25 Loyola with 4:35 to play. Milwaukee struggled in the final moments of the half, however, and Loyola scored the final five points to take a 37-30 lead into the break. Loyola shot 48.4% in the first half and all four of its free throws while Milwaukee shot just 41.4% from the floor while committing 10 turnovers.

Milwaukee turned up the intensity on the defensive from the get-go in the second half and scored six straight points following three consecutive Rambler turnovers. A Ciara Henderson three-pointer stemmed the tide and Jenna Real scored on a layup to push the LU lead back to six, 44-38, with 17:02 to play in the game. Teri Huff scored on a three-point play and Rogers drained a three-pointer to tie the game at 44 but Loyola forged ahead and led 48-46 on another Real layup with 14:56 left.

From that point forward it was all Panthers as UWM went on a 22-5 scoring run over the next 7:30 to race to a 68-53 lead with 7:26 remaining in the game. Milwaukee connected on 10-of-12 shots from the field during the stretch while holding Loyola to two-of-seven shooting to go with six turnovers. Teri Huff scored seven points in the run with O'Brien and Hampton each scoring five points.

The Panthers continued to control the game from that point on as Loyola could get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way. Milwaukee shot a sizzling 63.3% from the floor in the second half while Loyola shot just 34.5%. UWM blocked a season-high six shots on the day with Becker and Witte rejecting three apiece. Rogers hit seven-of-12 shots from the floor en route to her 15-point, three-board, three-steal showing.

Milwaukee, which has already clinched a first-round home game in the upcoming Horizon League Tournament, will head north to face #23 UW-Green Bay on Thursday. With UWM's win and UWGB's loss on Saturday the Panthers still have a slim chance of tying the Phoenix for the 2004-05 regular season title. Gametime is set for 7 p.m. at the Phoenix Sports Center.